The Tiger Trackers’ Tragedy

Northern Advocate, 10 January 1939, Page 2

The Tiger Trackers’ Tragedy

(Sent in by Marie Carrington, Pipiwai R.D., Whangarei. Age 14). Every word in this story commences with the letter T. Thinking tennis too tame, Thomas Tinwhistle took train to the Terai to try tiger-tracking. There, taking three tough tribesmen, to transport the tackle, Thomas travelled towards the thickets that thronged the terrain. The three tribesmen, thirsty through tramping, thievishly took Thomas’ treasured tipple. To teach them temperance, Thomas thrashed them thoroughly. Thereupon the three toughs, threatening terrible tragedies, trotted to their tribal temple to tell their trouble to their theological tutors. Thomas toiled through the timber till twilight; then, tying the tent to three trees, Thomas took tea that tasted terrible. Towards ten, Thomas tired, turned toes to the tent top; thereafter torpid tranquility triumphed. The tired traveller’s trombone tunes trilled through the tropic twilight. Three tigers, toddling through the thicket, thought that thunder threatened; two, terrified, turned tail; the third trotted towards the tent. The tiger tentatively toured the tent till the twitching tail touch the trestle tabic. Thomas’ thermos thudded to terra-firma, telling Thomas that trouble threatened. Thomas’ torch twinkled; the tiger, thundering throatily, turned to tackle the traveller. Thomas, though terrified, tried to throttle the tremendous tomcat. The tiger, to terminate this tentative tracheotomy, tore Thomas’ trousers to tatters. The traveller, tried to tie the tiger’s tail to the trestle table. This terrible tussle terminated tragically; the tiger trepanned Thomas. Towards twelve, the tiger—tummy too tight to trot—toiled topheavily through the trees, taking tasty titbits to the tigress that tarried to tend the twins. “